History Series / TheEvent

* [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent President Evil]]: Raymond Jarvis [[spoiler: after poisoning Martinez and ascending to the Presidency]].

* PresidentEvil: Raymond Jarvis [[spoiler: after poisoning Martinez and ascending to the Presidency]].
* PresidentMinority: President Elias Martinez (played by Blair Underwood) is Afro-Cuban, referenced by Sterling the DNI while he tries to dissuade the President from his decision to release the prisoners from their secret prison. Also seems to be a President Personable.

** Somewhat less of an issue since the ReTool.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Before the revelation that her planet was going to die and the death of her son Sophia was pretty benevolent. Now she's concluded that HumansAreBastards and will do whatever is needed to save her people including wiping us out.]]

* GrayAndGrayMorality: The US Government built a secret prison to detain the aliens until they gave the whole story, but the aliens themselves are no paragons of morality either, especially Thomas' faction which has apparently decided to go the AlienInvasion route. Meanwhile there are powerful people behind the government that apparently want to augment their lifespans by studying the very long-lived aliens and keep it all in the shadows, killing anyone that opposes them. The only really "good" characters are Simon, Leila, and Sean (though Sean seems to be drifting more into [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type III antihero]] range), while the only truly evil character is Dempsey, and he is pretty [[AffablyEvil affable]]... [[spoiler: and as it turns out, even Dempsey only did all the evil things he did to stop the alien threat, or so he says. (Along with extending his lifespan using DNA from kidnapped HalfHumanHybrids)]].

* SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes: [[spoiler: Sean]] seems to be drifting somewhere between Type II and Type III as of "A Message Back", [[spoiler: Sophia]] has over time drifted from Type III to Type IV [[spoiler: and has become solidly Type V as of episode 16]], [[spoiler: Martinez]] has become a Type IV as of episode 15, while [[spoiler: Vicky]] has gone from straight-up villain, to a Type V, and is now approaching a Type IV.

* GrayAndGrayMorality: The US Government built a secret prison to detain the aliens until they gave the whole story, but the aliens themselves are no paragons of morality either, especially Thomas' faction which has apparently decided to go the AlienInvasion route. Meanwhile there are powerful people behind the government that apparently want to augment their lifespans by studying the very long-lived aliens and keep it all in the shadows, killing anyone that opposes them. The only really "good" characters are Simon, Leila, and Sean (though Sean seems to be drifting more into [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type III antihero]] range), while the only truly [[CompleteMonster evil]] character is Dempsey, and even he is pretty [[AffablyEvil affable]]... [[spoiler: and as it turns out, even Dempsey only did all the evil things he did to stop the alien threat, or so he says. (Along with extending his lifespan using DNA from kidnapped HalfHumanHybrids, of course)]].

None of these incidents are "The Event".[[hottip:*:Nor are they [[SpellMyNameWithAnS "THE]] [[LuckyCharmsTitle EV3NT"]].

''The Event'' is a drama/science fiction TV series by executive producer Evan Katz (''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]''). Told in anachronic order, the series tells the stories of several seemingly unrelated people whose lives intertwine as circumstances propel them toward some mysterious future happening known only as "the Event". The show premiered in the United States in 2010 on {{NBC}}, and stars Jason Ritter, Blair Underwood and Laura Innes.

** Sean Walker. An unassuming computer programmer at the start, over the course of the series he manages to constantly foil many plots, take down many people far more powerful than he is, through sheer luck, {{Indy Ploy}}s, and from being GenreSavvy. Dempsey even lampshades this fact, that whenever he puts an obstacle in front of him, Walker will find some way to ''destroy'' it. This leads him to believe Sean is TheChosenOne who will save Earth from the aliens.

* BilingualBonus: Inostranka, the place in Alaska where HumanAliens are detained, means "alien" or "foreigner" in Russian.

* BreakTheCutie: Sean had a difficult time after [[spoiler: he left Leila by his own will]].

** Dempsey appears to predict the future based on some ancient scrolls, giving him an inside track on what's about to unfold.

* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Used by Sean on Henri to find out where James Dempsey is. Also threatened against Dr. Lu from Simon to get the password for a computer with information they need.

* {{Retool}}: The series was taken off the air between late November 2010 and early March 2011, notably missing February sweeps. When it returned, the flashbacks (which advertising for the show presumably assumed would be a draw due to comparisons with ''{{Lost}}'') were gone, and the storytelling was now completely linear.

* XMeetsY: It's been advertised as ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'' meets ''{{Lost}}'' and been referenced as ''TheXFiles'' meets ''TheWestWing''.

* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Used by Sean on Henri to find out where James Dempsey is.

* AncientTradition: Dempsey claims to be part of a lineage of "Sentinels" who have protected the world from the aliens for thousands of years.

* BilingualBonus: Inostranka, the name of the location in Alaska where a military facility to detain the HumanAliens is, means "alien" or "foreigner" in Russian.

* TheChosenOne: Dempsey apparently believes that Sean is predicted to save the world from Sophia's people. Dempsey also claims to come from a lineage of "Sentinels" that have watched over the world to protect it from the aliens.

* JackBauerInterrogation Technique: Used by Sean on Henri to find out where James Dempsey is.

* PresidentMinority: President Elias Martinez (played by Blair Underwood) is Cuban, referenced by Sterling the DNI while he tries to dissuade the President from his decision to release the prisoners from their secret prison. Also seems to be a President Personable.

* RedHerring: Subverted. There were some facts that could prove that [[spoiler: the President's wife]] is an alien. However, it turned out that her family just had problems with law. Then, in the end of the final episode, [[OhCrap she called the alien planet home]].

* ReverseMole: Simon Lee is really an alien. At first he's a straight example of this trope with the Sophia's group having good intentions, [[spoiler:but after things go bad they go KnightTemplar and he ends up deserting them]].

* TookALevelInBadass: Sean has been doing this throughout the series. Leyla isn't quite there but she's catching up.

** Actually, What's happening is more of a constant effort to BreakTheCutie (or BullyingTheDragon, if you remember that [[WhatAnIdiot the people involved are messing with the U.S. President)]], leading into a [[JustifiedTrope quite acceptable case]] of BewareTheNiceOnes.

** Jetliner SuicideAttack as a weapon against the United States complete with screaming passengers. Obviously NBC's hope is that nine years is enough for this to just be a credible dramatic threat and not stomach-turning to most of the audience.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: This show really loves this trope

* ItsGoingDown: [[spoiler: the Washington Monument in episode 15]], as a last-ditch attempt by [[spoiler: Sophia to save her people]].

* LadyMacbeth: Isabelle

* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Michael

* GovernmentConspiracy: Hiding the nature of the prison and the prisoners.
* GrayAndGrayMorality: The US Government built a secret prison to detain the aliens until they gave the whole story, but the aliens themselves are no paragons of morality either, especially Thomas' faction which has apparently decided to go the AlienInvasion route. Meanwhile their are powerful people behind the government that apparently want to augment their lifespans by studying the very long lived aliens and keep it all in the shadows, killing anyone that opposes them. The only really "good" characters are Simon, Leila, and Sean (though Sean seems to be drifting more into [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type III antihero]] range), while the only truly [[CompleteMonster evil]] character is Dempsey, and even he is pretty [[AffablyEvil affable]]... [[spoiler: and as it turns out, even Dempsey only did all the evil things he did to stop the alien threat, or so he says]].

*** [[spoiler: They both get [[WhatTheHellHero called out on their actions by their own people]], further muddying the issue of who're the "good guys" in this]].

* ApocalypseHow: The aliens' home sun is on apparently on the verge of going supernova. Depending on how strong it is, this could place it somewhere between a Class 5 and a Class X-2.
** And Sophia's plan is now to [[spoiler: perform a Class 3a on humanity, in order to make room for her people]].

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Sophia finds out that Isabelle wanted to have her assassinated. [[spoiler:She then forces Isabelle to maim herself.]]
** Sean Walker. A unassuming computer programmer at the start, over the course of the series he manages to constantly foil many plots, take down many people far more powerful than he is, through sheer luck, {{Indy Ploy}}s, and from being GenreSavvy. Dempsey even lampshades this fact, that whenever he puts an obstacle in front of him, Walker will find some way to ''destroy'' it.

* BilingualBonus: Inostranka, the name of the location in Alaska where a military facility to detain the HumanAliens is, means "foreigner" or "alien" in Russian.
* BloodFromTheMouth: When the flight 514 passengers displayed signs of some unknown illness, it manifested by bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth. Thomas offered the President an antidote to the unknown agent causing the illness in exchange for Sophia's release.

* TheChosenOne: Dempsey apparently believes that Sean is predicted to save the world from Sophia's people. Dempsey also claims to come from a succession of "Sentinels" that have watched over the world to protect it from the aliens.

** Played straight with [[spoiler: Vicky, who was CIA agent once, until her boss framed her to cover his mistakes, which cost her a job and almost ended her life]]
* {{Cliffhanger}}: Assuming the series isn't renewed for a second season, then it ends on one hell of a cliffhanger - [[spoiler: Simon reveals that his people [[AncientAstronauts used to live on Earth before humanity]], a terminally-ill Leila is revealed to be pregnant, Martinez's wife is revealed to be an alien, and, oh yeah, Sophia has the alien's homeworld ''teleported into Earth's orbit'']]. At least they knew to end the season/series with a bang.

* CradlingYourKill: This happens to one of the Alaskan prisoners when he offers to detail the plans of the aliens living outside the compound in exchange for the release of himself and his girlfriend. His girlfriend, still loyal to Sophia, holds him close and tells him to keep imagining their future together while she stabs him to death.

* BreakTheCutie: Sean had a difficult time after [[spoiler: he left Leila by his own will]]
* TheChosenOne: Dempsey apparently believes that Sean is predicted to protect the world from Sophia's people.

* BilingualBonus: Inostranka, the location in Alaska where a military facility holding HumanAliens is, means "foreigner" or "alien" in Russian.

* [[BigBadWannabe Big Bad Wannabes]]: [[spoiler: Thomas and Isabelle]] find out that neither of them has quite what it takes to usurp Sophia.

None of these incidents are "The Event".[[hottip:*:Nor are they [[SpellMyNameWithAnS "THE]] [[LuckyCharmsTitle EV3NT"]]]].

''The Event'' is a drama/science fiction TV series by executive producer Evan Katz (''[[TwentyFour 24]]''). Told in anachronic order, the series tells the stories of several seemingly unrelated people whose lives intertwine as circumstances propel them toward some mysterious future happening known only as "the Event". The show premiered in the United States in 2010 on {{NBC}}, and stars Jason Ritter, Blair Underwood and Laura Innes.

** Thus far [[spoiler: Blake seems to be in the dark as everyone else regarding why the aliens are here, thus his stated motive to keep them until they talk]].

* DarkActionGirl: Vicky.

* ExpositionOfImmortality: The extraterrestrials look just like humans, but live much longer and age slowly. Photos of these characters taken decades ago, but still looking just the way they do now, are often the only clue the human characters get that reveal the true nature of friends and family members they thought they knew very well.

* GenreShift: The show appears to be a conspiracy thriller (albeit one in {{anachronic order}}) until the very end when it shifts to science fiction when the kamikaze plane disappears into a big ol' ball of spacetime. On the other hand, the title itself is a pretty big hint. After all, you don't refer to things you understand (like terrorist threats or natural disasters) as "the Event."

* ItsGoingDown: [[spoiler: the Washington Monument in episode 15]], as a last-ditch attempt by [[spoiler: Sophia to save her people]].

* LetsGetDangerous: Both Sean and Leila are proving quite adept at this. President Martinez fits this as well (as of episode 15, when he started [[CharacterDevelopment to grow a pair]] and became more [[GrowingTheBeard of an interesting character]].)

* TooSoon:

** The episode "Turnabout", in which the threat of a nuclear incident in Southern California is a major plot point, aired a few days after the massive Sendai earthquake in Japan that led to major incidents at several nuclear reactors. In a moment before the President gets updated on the situation, we see him in a meeting with a foreign dignitary... from Japan.

* XMeetsY: It's been advertised as ''[[TwentyFour 24]]'' meets ''{{Lost}}'' and been referenced as ''TheXFiles'' meets ''TheWestWing''.
* XanatosGambit / KansasCityShuffle: In Episode 20, Shawn and Vicki stop one of Sophia's people from releasing a deadly virus into a shopping mall, [[spoiler: but another one of Sophia's people infects a bus evacuating the area, killing everyone and giving Sophia the information she needs to properly weaponize the virus]]. It's the former for the hidden bouns and the latter for the distraction.

None of these incidents are "The Event".[[hottip:*:Nor are they [[SpellMyNameWithAnS "THE]] [[LuckyCharmsTitle EV3NT"]].